Watercolor

What I like about this particular fall themed card is that it is quick and easy to make. It probably takes me about 5 minutes to create a few of these (I normally do around 5 when I sit down, because I already have all my stuff out.) Alright let’s get started, first you’ll need:

Stamp pad (black)

Leaf shaped stamp

Pencil

Card

Water

Watercolors (green, red, orange, yellow, and brown)

First take your card and unfold it with the front side up.

Then take your pencil and make a wavy branch-like line up at an angle from the edge, till you’re about ¾ of the way through your paper.

When your branch is drawn you may stamp the leaves along each edge. I wouldn’t be too particular about where you put the leaves, because it looks more real if you have some leaves overlapping and/or irregularly spaced.

Once the leaves are in place, erase the “branch” (because the watercolors won’t completely cover the line).

Now you can mix the water into the paint…remember, the more water the lighter the color. Before I put the color on the leaves I normally dip my brush in plain water and skim over a leaf (I usually go outside the edge of the leaf), this is done to let the color spread further than it would have.

Next you can finally add the color, yay! Take a color of your choice and with a brush spread it lightly over the leaf (again I don’t follow the bounds of the leaf). If you have more leaves than colors then I would suggest you darken/lighten your pigments or, for example, paint one leaf yellow and add green streaks to it for variety.

After your leaves are dry enough not to bleed then it’s time to paint the branch. Make sure your brush is dry enough not to drip, then run it back and forth across the brown pigment. Then run the brush in between your rows of leaves to the tip (you want your branch to be fairly dark and wavy). Tip: Try to make your branch thicker at the bottom and smaller at the tip.

Good you’ve completed your card! Just put it somewhere out of the way to let it dry before then you use it! I hope this worked out for you, even though it looks time consuming because once you try it you’ll see it’s very simple.

Thanks for reading!

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